Heucherella plant named &#39;Gold Cascade&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Heucherella  plant substantially as shown and described, characterized by gold leaves with reddish centers, reddish centers following the darker veins, a low dense trailing habit with good branching, medium size, ovate to orbicular leaves with shallow palmate lobing, and excellent vigor.

BOTANICAL DENOMINATION

Heucherella hybrid

VARIETY DESIGNATION

‘Gold Cascade’

CROSS REFERENCE TO SIBLING

Heucherella ‘Copper Cascade’ (applied for concurrently)

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Heucherella and given the cultivar name of ‘Gold Cascade’. Heucherella is in the family Saxifragaceae. Heucherella ‘Gold Cascade’ originated from a controlled cross between Heuchera K521-1-1 (a proprietary unreleased Heuchera), as the seed parent, and Tiarella 42-2 (a proprietary unreleased Tiarella), as the pollen parent.

Compared to the seed parent Heuchera K521-1-1, the new cultivar is trailing with yellow leaves with red centers rather than clumping with pink to khaki leaves.

Compared to the pollen parent Tiarella 42-2, the new cultivar has gold leaves rather than green.

Compared to its sibling, Heucherella ‘Copper Cascade’, the new cultivar has gold foliage rather than red to rust.

Compared to Heucherella ‘Yellowstone Falls’, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,313, and Heucherella ‘Sunrise Falls’ , U.S. Plant application Ser. No. 13/200,475, the new cultivar has a finer habit and stems, and with smaller leaves that are less lobed and have a stronger center pattern.

This new Heucherella is uniquely characterized by:

1. gold leaves with reddish centers,

2. reddish centers following the darker veins,

3. a low dense trailing habit with good branching,

4. medium size, ovate to orbicular leaves with shallow palmate lobing, and

5. excellent vigor.

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (cuttings and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by division and tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques with terminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a 6-month-old Heucherella ‘Gold Cascade’ in a 1 gallon pot in the shade house in June in Canby, Oreg.

FIG. 2 shows a close up of the flower.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Heucherella cultivar based on observations of a six month-old specimens growing in a one gallon container in a cool greenhouse in March in Canby, Oreg. Canby is Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range from a high of 95 degrees F. in August to an average of 32 degrees F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches per year. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 5^(th) edition.

-   Plant:     -   -   Form.—basal rosette with trailing stems, herbaceous             perennial.         -   Hardiness.—USDA Zone 4 to 9.         -   Size.—23 cm tall from top of the foliage to the ground and             42 cm wide before trailing down.         -   Habit.—mounding and trailing.         -   Vigor.—excellent.         -   Roots.—fibrous, freely branching, fine, and white in color. -   Stem:     -   -   Size.—3 mm wide and grows to 80 cm long.         -   Internode length.—2.5 cm to 4.5 cm.         -   Stem color.—Greyed Purple 183C in sun and Yellow Green 148A             tinted Greyed Purple 183C in shade. -   Leaf:     -   -   Type.—simple.         -   Arrangement.—rosette and alternate.         -   Shape.—broadly ovate to orbicular.         -   Lobing/division.—5 to 7 shallow palmate lobes.         -   Venation.—palmate.         -   Margins.—crenate.         -   Apex.—mucronulate.         -   Base.—cordate, usually overlapping.         -   Blade size.—basal leaves grow to 7.5 cm long and 7 cm wide,             stem leaves grow to 6 cm long and 5.5 cm wide.         -   Surface texture.—glandular both surfaces.         -   Petiole description.—on basal leaf grows to 14 cm long and             1.5 mm wide, on stem grows to 11 cm long and 1.5 mm wide,             both with glandular hairs and Greyed Purple 183C.         -   Leaf color.—topside spring through winter leaves Yellow             Green 145A with area around main veins Greyed Orange 177B             and veins Greyed Purple 187A, bottom side Yellow Green 145A             with dark center between Grey 201B and Greyed Purple 187A. -   Inflorescence:     -   -   Size.—usually 10 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, but grows to 18 cm             long and 8.5 cm wide with branching. -   Type: raceme     -   -   Number of flowers per raceme.—about 30.         -   Number of racemes.—about 20 in first flush.         -   Peduncle.—grows to 19.5 cm long, 1.5 mm wide at base, 0 to 2             floral leaves (grow to 3.5 cm long and 3 cm wide, cupped,             ovate, shallowly 3 lobed, tip mucronulate, margin crenate,             glandular hairs on both sides, Yellow Green 145A on both             sides, slight red markings near main veins Greyed Purple             187A), glandular hairs, Yellow Green 153A.         -   Pedicel.—grows to 6 mm long, with glandular hairs, Yellow             Green 153A.         -   Bloom period.—May to July in Canby, Oreg. -   Flower bud:     -   -   Size.—3 mm long and 2 mm wide.         -   Description.—glandular puberulent, ovoid.         -   Color.—Greyed Yellow 161C. -   Flower:     -   -   Type.—imperfect.         -   Shape.—stellate.         -   Size.—6 mm deep and 5 mm wide.         -   Petal description.—5 in number, sepal-like, oblanceolate, 2             mm long and 1.2 mm. wide, tip obtuse, base attenuate, margin             entire, glandular on both sides, Greyed Red 182C on both             sides.         -   Calyx description.—2 mm deep and 5 mm wide, stellate, with 5             spreading lobes, divided ½ way to the base, oblong,             glandular hairs on both sides, tip obtuse, margin entire,             lobes Greyed Red 182C on both sides and base Yellow Green             145B.         -   Stamen description.—none.         -   Pistil description.—10 in number, grow to 5 mm long and 1.5             mm wide, ovaries grow to 3 mm long and 1.5 wide, Yellow             Green 145B, beaked style 2 mm long Greyed Red 182C.         -   Fragrance.—none.         -   Lastingness.—each raceme blooms for about 2 weeks on the             plant. -   Fruit and seed: none     -   -   Disease and pest tolerance.—The new cultivar is typical to             the genus. No known resistances to pests or diseases. No             problems have been found in Canby, Oreg. 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Heucherella plant as herein illustrated and described. 